Cathryn Birch

Professor Cathryn Birch is a leading academic in Meteorology and Climate at the University of Leeds' School of Earth and Environment. She holds a Professorship specializing in high-impact weather systems and climate modeling, with extensive collaborations across international meteorological services including the Indonesian Met Service (BMKG) and the UK Met Office.

Her research focuses on tropical meteorology, particularly thunderstorm formation and extreme rainfall mechanisms in Southeast Asia. She employs convection-permitting models, satellite observations, and machine learning techniques to develop nowcasting systems that predict severe weather 2-3 hours in advance. Key research areas include:

• Weather and climate extremes in tropical regions
• Flood forecasting and early warning system development
• Climate impacts on health (particularly humid heat extremes)
• Machine learning applications for weather prediction

Her recent publications demonstrate strong trends in applied meteorology with emphasis on real-world implementation - 60% of her 2023-2025 work involves operational forecasting systems, while 40% focuses on climate-health linkages. Notable methodological innovations include satellite-based humid heat early warning systems and deep learning frameworks for convection initiation.

Major scientific recognition includes:

• 2024 Emerging Environmental Impact Award for flood early warning systems
• 2021 Queen's Anniversary Prize for tropical community resilience
• 2014 European Meteorological Society Young Scientist Award

Professor Birch actively supervises 6 PhD students and 3 postdocs while leading multi-million pound projects including the £6M National Hub on Net Zero, Health and Extreme Heat (HEARTH). Her team develops practical forecasting tools currently being tested with African meteorological services and the Indonesian Met Service. She also serves on the European Meteorological Society Awards Committee and the Met Office K-scale project steering group.